


Woman Wept

by lunarsilverwolfstar



Series: 30 Tumblr Prompts [7]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance, Woman Wept (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-03 19:19:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1755031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsilverwolfstar/pseuds/lunarsilverwolfstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The TARDIS had hidden all of her summer clothes and left her with thick coats, plenty of scarves (including one extremely long and colourful one that she knew wasn't hers), snow boots, gloves, hats, and an assortment of ear muffs.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Woman Wept

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tkross](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkross/gifts).



> This was a lot of fun to write! Prompt by [Tkross](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tkross).
> 
> No beta this time around. All mistakes are my own.

Once, the Doctor had promised Rose snowy mountains and had landed in the humid city of Miami, Florida circa 2069. Thankfully, the TARDIS seemed to know exactly where they'd land and had hidden all of her winter clothing. The Doctor had raised a brow, his cool, blue eyes giving her an appraising look when she walked into the console room, clad in denim shorts, a yellow blouse, and sturdy running shoes. Though the shoes had not been necessary because, for once, they had no running involved whatsoever.

Well, until Rose had tricked him into the water, boots, jeans, jumper, and all. Then she had to run _from_ him. Of course, with his long, runner's legs, it'd been quite easy for him to catch up to her, scoop her into his arms, and haul her into the ocean before dropping her unceremoniously. Though they had a laugh, the Doctor felt remorseful when they stayed too late and the night's chill left her with a cold. As penance, he'd brought her all the chicken soup and tea to her room and watched sappy soap operas from the thirty-third century.

Now, the TARDIS had hidden all of her summer clothes and left her with thick coats, plenty of scarves (including one extremely long and colourful one that she knew wasn't hers), snow boots, gloves, hats, and an assortment of ear muffs. Although the Doctor had promised her and Jack Harkness, their new companion, a warm seaside town after they'd dealt with planet's small continent that worshiped large ears and thought straight, white teeth were a sign of hell (never had she been more thankful for her overbite) so Jack had been condemned to a fiery death until she and the Doctor rescued him at the last minute, the TARDIS knew better. Sometimes Rose wondered if it wasn't the ship who was driving and her inhabitants were just along for the ride. Smirking at the dimming light, she changed.

When Rose walked into the console, she just barely managed to keep herself from falling by grabbing onto the rail. "We here, then?" she asked, barely able to control her excitement. Whether they'd arrived where the Doctor intended to bring them or not, she was always ready for another adventure.

The Doctor turned to her; blue eyes alight with a passion that she loved. Though this trip was to placate her and Jack, she knew he too shared the same thirst for adventure. He'd been travelling for hundreds of years, after all, and had yet to tire of it. She couldn't blame him. She could do this forever too, if he let her.

"What are you wearing all those layers for? Promised you two a beach, didn't I?" She watched as his eyes slid from her to just over her shoulder and she turned around to see Jack also swathed in warm clothing.

"Looks like the TARDIS thought otherwise," Jack replied teasingly.

The Doctor frowned and turned back to the console. "No, look here, I set…" He trailed off and Rose approached him, looking at the monitor as he pulled up the outside camera.

It looked like a barren wasteland, as if no one had ever stepped foot on it.

She noticed the deep creases forming on the Doctor's brow; they always appeared when he became close to getting lost in his thoughts. So, instead of letting him wander off mentally, she slipped her gloved fingers through his bare ones and tugged. "Come on, let's go have a look."

Solemn eyes stared at her and she ached to bring back the light she'd seen only moments ago. Hearing the TARDIS door open, she tugged on him once again and this time she felt his weight shift towards her.

"Might as well. Even in this cold desert, the captain's bound to get himself into some sort of trouble."

As soon as they stepped out, Rose couldn't help but gasp.

It was freezing, true, but it was also _beautiful_. Just as she'd seen on the small screen, the land was completely bare, a cold desert, the Doctor had called it, but with the sky spread above them showing a clear, starry night and on the land with snow-covered trees, trees that were nothing but bark and branches decorated with crystal-ice, reaching high above, this place had to be one of the most brilliant places she'd ever seen. Just as Rose was about to ask where they were, Jack came towards them, practically bouncing.

"You two up for a hike?" He grinned.

Rose looked at the man next to her eagerly and she most certainly didn't flutter her eyelashes at him. She rewarded him with a tongue-touched smile when he sighed and nodded.

"What happened here, Doctor? Has it always been like this?" She looked around, taking in the scenery, white only interrupted by the dark barks of trees or large rocks where the snow slid off them.

"What, cold?"

"No. Lonely."

He stopped abruptly and gave her an intense look, one that always managed to leave her breathless. He stared at her like that sometimes, like he could not quite believe she was here with him, like her very existence was impossible.

The three friends walked around for an hour or so, coming upon rumble and more barren land as the Doctor explained that this planet used to be extremely lively until it began drifting away from its sun. Thankfully, it happened slowly so the people were able to leave, taking plenty of plant and animal life with them to begin anew somewhere else. He was in the middle of talking about some of the indigenous peoples' refusal to leave their land when she first spotted them.

At first, there had only been an icy tip and Rose hadn't been paying much attention, too hung up on trying to take everything in, the land, the Doctor's words, dodging a snowball from Jack. Now that they were closer, several more appeared, and once they were at the edge of the cliff, she realised there were quite a number of them. When she first spotted them, she had thought they were frozen geysers, but they were…

"Frozen waves." She gasped. She was so busy staring at them that she didn't notice the Doctor looking at her, taking in the wonder her face displayed. She wouldn't know for years how much her joyous expressions warmed his hearts (and, later, heart). She, Jack, and the Doctor found a pathway down towards the shore. They waited for the Doctor to analyse the ice before concluding that it was safe to walk on. They did so, staring up at the waves towering over them for a long time. When Rose could feel a crick forming in her neck, she looked down at the smaller waves (along with frozen foam!) and noticed that there were shadows just underneath, realising they were the sea life that once swam and grew in the watery depths.

They must have walked through for quite some time and when she finally felt her feet begin to tire, she asked, "How much more is there? How did this happen?"

"Oh, there are at least nine hundred and ninety four miles to go," the Doctor teased before becoming serious. "Storms were forming as the planet drifted and, when it was exactly eighty-one million, seven hundred forty-six thousand, one hundred twenty-nine miles away, everything froze."

Rose became lost as he rattled off a trail of numbers, but the firm grip she had of his hand never wavered.

After a while, they finally made their way back to the TARDIS, Jack carrying a sleepy Rose on his back.

Once the Doctor promised he'd make the cocoa, she headed to her room to change into some jimjams. Jack said he was going to take a hot bath and wouldn't be disturbing them, unless they really wanted him to, and to have fun. She rolled her eyes playfully. Once in her warm flannel set, Rose headed towards the galley. She ended up back in the console room instead. Just as she was about to work her way back, thinking she had missed a turn, she saw the Time Lord leaning against the frame of the TARDIS' open doors.

"Left the tray on the jump seat," he spoke without looking back.

Looking towards the seat, she saw a mug filled with cocoa and tiny marshmallows, an insulator wrapped around it. Smiling, she scooped it up before joining him at the door. She looked outside, beyond the deep space and saw that they were hovered around a planet. A planet that, if one looked just close enough, showed off its frozen waters. "That's amazing." Rose looked at him, wide-eyed, and she saw his lips quirk up.

"It's called Woman Wept."

"That's rather depressing. And sexist."

He snickered and she shot him a glare. He gestured outside. "Look again."

She did, tilted her head a bit to the right and then to the left. She frowned, biting her lower lip and, finally, she saw. "The continent!" Her earlier comments aside, she could now see why it was given that name. With the shape of the mainland and the smaller islands, it did look like a woman was weeping and the islands were her tears.

"Many of outer planets thought it was a bad omen, but the planet's people were probably the happiest creatures in the galaxy."

"It's too bad they had to leave their home." Her heart clenched, thinking about how she'd feel if she had to ever leave the TARDIS for good. Rose paused. The TARDIS? But… London was… From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the Doctor and watched as he took a sip of his own mug, wincing as he scalded his tongue. She smiled.

She was right the first time. Home wasn't London, not anymore. It was right here.


End file.
